Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will introduce legislative proposals to make it compulsory that supply teachers have access to pension rights on an equal basis to other teachers.
The Teachers’ Pensions Regulations currently provide for supply teachers to participate in the Teacher’s Pension Scheme (TPS) where they are employed by a scheme employer. In the main, these are local authorities (LAs), academies and further education colleges. This includes supply teachers who are recruited by a supply agency but then employed directly, under a contract of employment, by the scheme employer.
However, where supply teachers are self-employed or remain employed by a supply agency and their services are provided under a contract for services, it is not possible for them to participate in the TPS as there is no organisation to undertake the employer role, including remitting contributions to the scheme.
The Department for Education does not plan to review these arrangements, and considers that it is for employers and teachers to determine how supply teachers are employed, which can in turn enable access to the TPS under the current arrangements.
The provision of pension benefits for teachers is a devolved matter and therefore the legislative provisions for teachers in England and Wales will not necessarily reflect the provisions for teachers in Northern Ireland.